Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja/XNakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja has quit the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and joined the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), setting her sights on the Nakuru gubernatorial seat in the 2027 General Election.
Karanja announced her political shift on Friday, October 9, during a public forum in Nakuru County.
The senator said her decision followed sustained calls from her supporters urging her to seek the county’s top leadership position, adding that she had chosen to heed their requests.
Karanja said her political choices were ultimately determined by the electorate, whom she described as her employers.
“I know very well that you people are my employers. You are my bosses. Even if I went to the Senate, my party leader knows very well who employed me. It is you people who employed me,” she said.
Signalling her new political direction, Karanja appeared in green attire, the colour associated with DCP, and announced that she would contest the governorship on the party’s ticket.
“You can see I have dressed in green today. My clothes and even my ring are all green, and from today I will vie for that seat under DCP,” she said.
Karanja’s departure from UDA follows her criticism of the government’s performance, particularly what she described as its failure to address the concerns of Kenyans who supported it in the last General Election.
The senator also questioned whether the government understood the economic pressures facing households, citing the rising cost of basic commodities.
She cited milk prices as an example of the challenges consumers were facing, saying the situation illustrated the difficulties some Kenyans encountered in meeting their daily needs.
“...The government does not see ahead. Recently I went to the supermarket and found the prices of milk have risen. It is very shameful for Kenya to lack milk,” Karanja said.
Karanja joined UDA in January 2022 and subsequently won the Nakuru senatorial seat on the party’s ticket in the August 2022 elections.
She is among the politicians who have announced their departure from Ruto’s UDA.
On Thursday, October 8, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba announced that she was leaving UDA, saying she would neither seek an elective position nor campaign for the ruling party.
Wamuchomba cited concerns over what she described as remarks by some UDA leaders that showed disrespect towards other communities. She particularly criticised Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale over remarks she said were directed at the Mount Kenya community.
